STRUCTURE, CHRONOLOGY, TONE AND UNDERTONE: AN EXAMINATION OF TONAL VARIATION IN OVID'S EXILIC POETRY

As with other aspects of Ovid ian self-deprecation and recusatio in the Tristia and Epistolae ex Ponto, the poet's ostensibly candid admissions that his poetry is "not only sad but monotonous"! have been granted more credence than they deserve. The word "monotony" refers to "singleness of tone", not of content. By "tone" is meant the effect upon the sensibilities of the reader of the prevailing attitude of mind of the speaker. Discrepancy of tone and content is often an indication of ironic intent, colouring with new insights the reader's perception of what has gone before.2 Reversal and inversions of tone are aspects of the general poetic principle of variatio.3 This paper will attempt to demonstrate that the principle of variatio applies to tone and shifts of tone in Ovid's exilic oeuvre, both within individual poems, and within the various collections that comprise Ovid's exilic works. The paper will first discuss the various critical concepts involved, relating these to a descriptive "micro-analysis" of shifts of tone in some poems, touching very briefly on the stylistics by which these shifts are achieved. Readers will then be offered an opportunity to discover for themselves contrasts in tone in prose translations of three consecutive poems. The paper will end with a consideration of Epistolae ex Ponto 4.16 as the emotional culmination of the poets' oeuvre

REKENAAR-ONDERRIGPROGRAMME VIR LATYN VIR REGSTUDENTE: TEORIE EN PRAKTYK

INLEIDENDE OPMERKINGS Sedert 1987 bet die Departement Latyn, Universiteit Stellenboscb, bom toegele op die daarstel van rekenaarbulp vir Latynstudente. Tot einde 1994 was Latyn verplig vir regstudente, en bulle moes binne 'n jaar tot Matrikulasievlak gebring word, voordat bulle 'n volwaardige eerstejaarskursus, met beide regs- en klassieke tekste as basis, kon aandurf. Rekenaarbulp is gesien as 'n middel om die basiese begeleide inoefening, waarvoor daar in so 'n vlugge kursus geen klastyd is nie, in studente se eie tyd aan bulle beskikbaar te stel. Daar is in die afgelope nege jaar deurgaans gepoog om rekenskap te gee oor wat bereik word. Die moontlikhede en toepassing van die rekenaar in die onderrig van Latynse letteren taalkunde is dus deurgrondelik ondersoek. Die studie bet twee aspekte bebels, evaluering van beskikbare programmatuur, en die opweeg van onderrigmoontlikhede aan die band van studente-prestasie

Fronto Avus : the tale of a grandfather

CITATION: Claassen, J-M., 2007. Fronto Avus : the tale of a grandfather. Akroterion, 52:49-59, doi:10.7445/52-0-52.The original publication is available at http://akroterion.journals.ac.zaThis paper examines some examples from the correspondence of the secondcentury rhetor, the Romanised African M. Cornelius Fronto, in particular letters that relate to the death of his grandson, drawing conclusions about Fronto as grandfather and as a person who had sustained previous bereavements. His attitude to his daughter Cratia2 and son-in-law Aufidius Victorinus receives special attention. The question of why Fronto seems to favour Victorinus over his own daughter when both are plunged into grief is addressed. It seems that in the grief of the younger man the older relives the agonies of his own youth, when he and his wife lost a series of children before bringing up Cratia as an only child.http://akroterion.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/52Publisher's versio

Poeta, exsul, vates : a stylistic and literary analysis of Ovid's Tristia and Epistulae ex Ponto

Thesis (D.Litt.) -- University of Stellenbosch, 1986.Full text to be digitised and attached to bibliographic record

“Living in a place called exile” : the universals of the alienation caused by isolation

Please cite as follows:Claassen, J. 2003. 'Living in a place called exile': The universals of the alienation caused by isolation. Literator, 24(3):85-112, doi:10.4102/lit.v24i3.302.The original publication is available at http://literator.org.zaAlthough various aspects of Ovid’s emotional reactions to exile have been researched, there has so far been no extended practical study that places the emotional content of his works into a new political context. In this respect Ovid’s voicing of his experiences can serve to illuminate the experiences of latter-day exiles. This article attempts to establish, by literary means, a picture of the alienation attendant upon exile and its sublimation. For this purpose the poetry of Ovid, as well as that of certain modern authors, is used as illustration. There are many parallels between the Rome of the turn of our era and the South Africa of previous decades: exile was a political weapon in both. Themes reflecting alienation in Ovid’s poems are universal, and still valid in situations of exile today. Ovid’s portrayal of his own exiled persona is used to draw a psychological profile of the experiences of alienation during such exile. This profile may be termed the “universals of alienation”, which is applied to the exile or imprisonment of the victims of contemporary political upheaval. The extent to which the verbalisation of such alienation serves to heal such a wounded soul is explored.http://literator.org.za/index.php/literator/article/view/302Publisher's versio

A classicist’s analysis of the verse drama Germanicus by the Afrikaans poet N.P. Van Wyk Louw as a portrayal of power and powerlessness

CITATION: Claassen, J.-M. 2017. 'n Klassikus se ontleding van N.P. Van Wyk Louw se Germanicus as 'n beeld van mag en onmag. LitNet Akademies, 14(3):417-455.The original publication is available at https://www.litnet.co.zaHierdie artikel ondersoek die mate waarin N.P. Van Wyk Louw se Germanicus (1956) sy hoofbron, ’n werk van die Romeinse geskiedskrywer Tacitus, vernuwend aanwend, met klem op sy uitbeelding van mag en onmag. Die vraag of die drama nie bloot ’n klakkelose vertaling is nie, word ondersoek, met ’n kort samevatting van sy inhoud, gevolg deur ’n bespreking van Louw se personasies en ’n ontleding van die wyse waarop hy Tacitus se gegewens gebruik of aanpas. Tersaaklike sekondêre bronne word deurgaans erken, maar die hooffokus bly op Louw se teks. Louw se herinterpretasie van aspekte van die gebeure word in minstens één geval deur ’n argeologiese ontdekking gestaaf. Louw se uitbeelding van historiese figure word uitgewys as ’n poging om iets nuuts uit die gegewens oor hulle lewens te skep, eerder as om bloot Tacitus se interpretasie weer te gee. Aandag word gegee aan die verskil tussen die antieke en die moderne geskiedskrywing en Louw se toepassing van Tacitus se gegewens op ’n heel ander genre, naamlik versdrama. Louw se generiese spel word toegelig uit sy eie uitsprake oor die rol van intertekstualiteit in die skep van “iets nuuts”: hy het ’n bepaalde greep uit die Romeinse geskiedenis gekies om drie temas vernuwend te verbeeld. Van drie oorheersende temas in die drama steun slegs die eerste sterk op Tacitus: die idee dat magshebbers deur hul magsuitoefening gekorrumpeer word, met gepaardgaande wreedheid, maar dat hulle ook magteloos is om daaraan te ontsnap. Die tweede tema, onmag, word verder ondersoek uit aanhalings uit driftige monoloë deur verskeie onderdanige karakters wat die bewussyn van hul magteloosheid teenoor hul oorheersers uitspel. Sodanige konfrontasies is skaars histories juis, maar word dramaties bevredigend as tekenend van Louw se boodskap bevind. Die derde tema blyk eweneens histories onwaarskynlik, naamlik die karakter Germanicus se vlugtige profetiese blik op die koms van ’n nuwe (Christelike) bedeling. Louw se eie politieke siening word hierna ontleed. Oor die vraag of Germanicus enigsins as ’n eietydse “politieke dokument” beskou kan word, word bevind dat dit beide eietyds én tydloos is: Louw se beskouinge van mag en onmag is eweseer op die politiek van die hede as op politieke omstandighede van sy eie tyd van toepassing.This article, by the translator of the verse drama Germanicus (1956) by the Afrikaans poet N.P. Van Wyk Louw (Claassen 2013), examines Louw’s portrayal of power and powerlessness in his play and the originality with which he adapts his major historical source, the Annales of the Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus. Louw’s reinterpretation of aspects of the historical events and personalities portrayed by Tacitus has in at least one case been proven more likely than that of his source; that is, since the archaeological discovery in Spain of some contemporary inscriptions referring to the events to which Tacitus and Louw refer. Emphasis is placed in turn on the degree of originality in Louw’s adaptation of the original text, on his conceptualisation of the corruption inherent in all display of power and on the content and manner of presentation of the poet’s political ideas, for which his work served as a vehicle.Publisher's versio

Humor by Tertullianus : 'n studie van die gebruikmaking van humor in die apologetiese werke van Q. Septimus Florens Tertullianus

Thesis (MA)-University of Stellenbosch, 1970.Synopsis in English.Full text to be digitised and attached to bibliographic record

Word pictures : visualising with Ovid

Please cite as follows:Claassen, J.-M. 2013. Word Pictures: Visualising with Ovid. Acta Classica 56: 29-54.The original publication is available at http://www.casa-kvsa.org.za/acta_classica.htmSee also - Sabinet Reference Online for the original publication - http://reference.sabinet.co.za/document/EJC146656Ovid verbally portrays three different modes of ‘seeing’. In the Metamorphoses readers mentally ‘watch’ his various protagonists seeing or being seen. In the elegiac poetry readers are often induced to share the field of vision of his protagonists. In Amores 3.2 and Ars Amatoria 1.135ff., readers ‘look’ with the lover and his mistress during ‘a day at the races’, virtually becoming both protagonists. In the exilic poems Ovid is sole viewer. ‘Something he saw that ruined him’ looms large in his imagination. The exile begins to rely solely on mental vision, ‘seeing’ the sights of Rome, conjuring up distant friends into his presence. Readers ‘see’ the lonely exile being comforted by his own inner vision

Poeta, exsul, vates : a stylistic and literary analysis of Ovid's Tristia and Epistulae ex Ponto

Thesis (D.Litt.) -- University of Stellenbosch, 1986.Full text to be digitised and attached to bibliographic record